Melatonin and Human Mitochondria: Physiology, Pathochemistry, and Immunogenetics

Alexandre Tavartkiladze, Russel J. Reiter

Abstract: Melatonin is traditionally viewed as a nocturnal chronobiotic secreted by the pineal gland; however, its modern biology is inseparable from mitochondria. A substantial body of evidence indicates that melatonin accumulates within mitochondria, may also be synthesized within mitochondria., and protects bioenergetics by restraining oxidative injury, stabilizing electron transport, and modulating permeability transition and intrinsic apoptosis. Beyond these well-established redox functions, melatonin influences mitochondrial network behavior (fusion?fission balance), mitophagy, and transcriptional programs governing antioxidant defenses and inflammatory tone. These functions are increasingly relevant to human pathochemistry, including neurodegeneration, cardiometabolic disease, cancer metabolism, and post-viral syndromes that converge on mitochondrial dysfunction. Finally, inter-individual variation in melatonin signaling-particularly polymorphisms in MTNR1A (MT1) and MTNR1B (MT2), and mtDNA background-supports a precision-medicine perspective in which genotype, circadian phenotype, and clinical context guide melatonin timing and dose. Here, we synthesize these mechanisms with emphasis on the Reiter school of mitochondrial melatonin biology and on Tavartkiladze?s clinical and translational contributions, while retaining a structured immunogenetic framework for future trials.

Keywords: melatonin, mitochondria, oxidative stress, MTNR1B, precision medicine

How to Cite?: Alexandre Tavartkiladze, Russel J. Reiter, "Melatonin and Human Mitochondria: Physiology, Pathochemistry, and Immunogenetics", Volume 14 Issue 12, December 2025, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 1522-1529, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR251217152341, DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR251217152341